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WORLD HERITAGE STATUS FOR DARBAR SAHIB, AMRITSAR.

The Darbar Sahib, Amritsar is a unique, sacred, and historical centre of Sikhism. This is the most sacred important place for the Sikhs, which needs its conservation for the future generations of the humanity including the Sikhs living all over the world.

During May 2002 the Secretariat of the SGPC requested the Secretariat of the Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, Punjab Government for information to include the Darbar Sahib into the list of World Heritage. Punjab Government introduced SGPC to the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTECH). INTECH deputed Cultural Research and Conservation Institute (CRCI) for preparation of the Dossier. The Secretariat of the SGPC according to their resolution No. 802 dated August 10, 2002 formed a committee to take the necessary actions for the grant of World Heritage Status for Darbar Sahib. Two members of the SGPC (Bibi Kiranjot Kaur as the Director of the Project), experts from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and theologians were deputed to prepare an elaborate 400-page dossier.

The team of the CRCI stayed at the Sarai of Darbar Sahib for four months and collected the important information on interpretation of historical, archaeological, and religious information from the scholars of the Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. When the Dossier was ready it was given to the Dr S S Bhuparai, Vice Chancellor, Punjabi University, Patiala for verification of the above information by the scholars of his university.

It is a pity that various Sikh Organisations instead of suggesting the improvement of the Dossier recommended withdrawal of the Dossier on the following three major objections:

1. The Management of Darbar Sahib will be interfered by the Government of India (GOI) and the UNESCO.
2. The Darbar Sahib will be turned into a Cultural Centre and its religious sanctity will be lost.
3. The Dossier was full of misrepresentations of Gurbani and Sikh history.

So much so the four members out of the 5-member Committee appointed by the SGPC to evaluate the Dossier gave conflicting reports. Although all the five members agreed that there are some anomalies but none of them suggested how to remove those anomalies and improve its representation.

A letter to Bibi Kiranjot Kaur from the Director-General of the ASI states that the management of Shri Harmandar Sahib would continue to remain with the SGPC and there would be no change at all to this management as a result of its inscription as the WHS. The letter further reads that UNESCO does not and will not impose management discretions on the WHS. Any suggestion from UNESCO would only be advisory in nature (as an expert body) with regard to upholding and conserving the heritage value of the site. The full responsibility for the protection as well the suggested conservation of the heritage property will be with the SGPC. "The Government of India will not have any role in the management of Golden Temple"; the communication of ASI Director-General reads.

Keeping in view the advantages and importance of World Heritage Status for the Darbar Sahib there seems to be a general consensus among majority of Sikhs around the world that rejection of the dossier was done in haste without due consideration being given to all the facts.

It is also general consensus of the most of the Sikhs that the dossier is kept pending and that a 5-member non-political Task Force of Sikh experts from around the world be appointed by the SGPC:
1. to review the dossier,
2. to remove anomalies,
3. to ascertain once again that the sovereignty of the Darbar Sahib will be
maintained.
before the Dossier is re-submitted for grant of the WHS to the Darbar Sahib, Amritsar.

The main goal of the WHS status is to ensure that the original and old artworks / architecture are properly persevered / protected from random destruction and makeovers by different committees.

This will open an avenue to get the WHS for Nankana Sahib in Pakistan and other Gurdwaras in the world.
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Please send the above letter to:

President, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Amritsar, Punjab, India
Email : sgpc@vsnl.com, Fax : + 91-183-255-3919.

With CC to:

1. Kiranjot Kaur, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Amritsar, Punjab, India
Email : kiranjot@yahoo.com

2. Devinder S. Chahal, Email: sikhism@iuscanada.com

Your co-operation in this matter will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.



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